Pathological samples are observed by the steps of: slicing an organism specimen to form tissue sections, adhering the tissue sections onto slide glasses to form the pathological samples; and observing the samples by a microscope.
To observe by the microscope, the tissue sections must be thin so as to allow lights to pass through them. Thus, a form of the organism specimen, from which the tissue sections are cut, has been previously fixed by freezing or by using an embedding agent, e.g., paraffin, so as to easily slice the organism specimen.
However, even if the form of the organism specimen is fixed by freezing or by using the embedding agent as shown in FIG. 5, the tissue section 16 (upwardly) curls to the outside of a slicing surface of the organism specimen 12 when the organism specimen 12, which is mounted on a table 12 and whose form is fixed, is moved in a direction of an arrow and cut by a fixed knife 10.
When the curling tissue section 16 is mounted on a flat slide glass, creases are formed, a bad sample for microscope observation is often produced.
Especially, degree of curling of the tissue section 16, which is made by slicing the organism specimen 12 whose form has been fixed by freezing (hereinafter sometimes referred to “frozen organism specimen 12”) is sometimes greater than that of the tissue section 16, which is made by slicing the organism specimen 12 whose form has been fixed by the embedding agent, e.g., paraffin, (hereinafter sometimes referred to “embedded organism specimen 12”).
The tissue sections 16 for an urgent pathological examination is usually cut from the frozen organism specimen 12 because there is no time to fix the form by the embedding agent, e.g., paraffin.
Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 6A, the table 14, on which the frozen organism specimen 12 is mounted, is moved in the direction of the arrow, and the tissue section 16, which has been cut by the fixed knife 10, is manually adhered to a tip part of a brush 100, then the brush 100 holding the tissue section 16 at the tip part is synchronously moved with a slicing speed, as shown in FIG. 6B, so as to restrict the curl of the tissue section 16.
To manually perform the steps shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, enough skill is required, and it is often impossible to reobtain the same frozen organism specimen 12, from which the tissue section 16 will be cut. Therefore, miscutting the tissue section 16 is not allowed, so a worker must cut carefully. Further, there is a risk of infection from the frozen organism specimen 12.
To execute a rapid and correct diagnosis on the basis of a rapid examination of the tissue section 16 cut from the frozen organism specimen 12, experienced pathological doctors are required, so hospitals, which are capable of rapidly examining the frozen organism specimens 12, are limited.
In the case of treating the embedded organism specimen 12 too, it is difficult for a nonskilled worker to manually perform the steps shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, it is often impossible to reobtain the same embedded organism specimen 12, from which the tissue section 16 will be cut, and miscutting the tissue section 16 is not allowed, so a worker must cut carefully as well as the frozen organism specimen 12.
To solve the disadvantages, some methods for manufacturing tissue sections from the conventional organism specimens 12 are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Gazettes NO. 4-177143, No. 7-159298 and No. 2002-31586, in each of which an adhesive face of a transparent film is adhered on the organism specimen, the organism specimen is sliced immediately under the transparent film by, for example, a knife, then the tissue section is taken out together with the transparent film. In the patent gazettes No. 4-177143 and No. 7-159298, the transparent film is pressed onto the organism specimen by a roller or a plunger when the transparent film is adhered onto the organism specimen.
Further, in a Japanese Patent Gazette No. 6-323967, a tissue section, which has been cut from an organism specimen, is dipped into water, then the tissue section floating on a water surface is scooped up by a transparent film.
By employing the methods disclosed in the patent gazettes, the tissue section can be adhered onto one side of the transparent film without manually performing the difficult steps shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B.
However, since the adhesive face of the transparent film is pressed onto the organism specimen, an adhesive directly contacts the organism specimen so that tissue cells, which are in and near the contact surface of the organism specimen, are sometimes badly influenced and transformed.
Further, if air is left in a space between the transparent film and the organism specimen, creases are easily formed in the tissue section cut off from the organism specimen, so that it is necessary to discharge the air by pressing the transparent film onto the organism specimen with a prescribed force. Tissue cells of the organism specimen are easily broken by pressing the transparent film, and thickness of the tissue section, which is cut off from the organism specimen, is partially varied by repeatedly pressing and releasing the organism specimen.
When a plurality of tissue sections are sliced off from one organism specimen to manufacture a plurality of microscopic samples, transparent films are pressed onto the organism specimen for each slice so as to discharge air. Further, the tissue sections must be adhered on one side of the transparent film in slicing order so as to individually recognize the tissue sections.
Therefore, the steps until adhering the tissue sections on the one side of the transparent film in the slicing order are included in a rate-controlling stage of manufacturing microscopic samples.
In the method such that the tissue section is scooped from water by the transparent film, frozen organism specimens cannot be used, so the method is limited to organism specimens embedded by a hydrophobic embedding agent, e.g., paraffin.
Further, in the case of using the embedded organism specimens embedded by the hydrophobic embedding agent, e.g., paraffin, if a plurality of tissue sections are dipped into water, it is difficult to individually recognize them, so one tissue section is dipped into the water after the prior tissue section is scooped by the transparent film. Therefore, the step of making the tissue sections is the rate-controlling stage of manufacturing microscopic samples.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device for manufacturing a tissue section, which are capable of treating a frozen organism specimen and an embedded organism specimen and rapidly adhering the tissue section onto a film without pressing the film.